More stories, shorter nights.

I. Asia remains the "youngest sibling"

Only two teams from the Asian Football Confederation made it to the round of 16: Japan and Australia (Europe 13, Africa 9, South America 5, North and Central America and the Caribbean 3).

Clearly, Asia is still the "youngest" and has a lot of room to grow!

In your opinion, is it due to footballing mindset or physical fitness and physique?

Messi holds several records after his outstanding performance in the 2026 World Cup group stage. Photo: AP

II. "King" Lionel Messi

- Set a record for goals scored in World Cup history (as of June 28, 2026): 19 goals.

- Most goals scored from outside the penalty area in World Cup history: 6 goals.

- The first player to score in seven consecutive World Cup matches.

1. Scaloni (Argentina's head coach) stated bluntly:

No one is allowed to give Messi orders.

There is no training plan for Messi.

- It's better to let Messi "walk" on the pitch in imperfect physical condition than to bench him. Because his aura alone is enough to stifle the confidence of his opponents!

Messi could have played the full 90 minutes against Jordan, but he chose to sit on the bench so his teammates could get more playing time.

2. Ayala (assistant coach of the Argentina national team):

Maradona is no longer here today, but I believe he would be very happy and incredibly proud to see everything that is happening with Messi.

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Live coverage of the 2026 World Cup Round of 16 today, June 30th: Brazil narrowly avoids defeat, Germany and the Netherlands await their match.Brazil secured their place in the next round after a thrilling 2-1 victory over Japan, while Germany and the Netherlands prepare for their Round of 16 matches at the 2026 World Cup today, June 30th.

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3 - Zlatan Ibrahimovic:

- I agree with Henry that the Jordan goalkeeper should have done better in Messi's free-kick situation. But if Messi was the one standing in front of the ball, it wouldn't matter! He makes opponents make mistakes like that, whether we like it or not.

4 - Henry talks about Messi's celebration after Martinez's penalty goal against Jordan:

People think that captains only lead on the field, but Messi has led from the bench. That's what a true leader looks like.

5. Mac Allister:

Everyone on the team kept calling me "ginger" because I'm Scottish and have blonde hair, and I didn't like it at all! Messi told the whole team not to call me that anymore. He said no one was allowed to make fun of me as "ginger," and since then, no one has dared say a word.

III - Luka Modric

- European Golden Ball 2018.

- Golden Foot Award for both career and character (2019).

- Won 3 consecutive Champions League titles (from the 2015-2016 season to the 2017-2018 season) with Real Madrid.

- Participated in 5 European Championships (2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, 2024).

- Has participated in 5 World Cups (2006, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026).

- Silver medal at the 2018 World Cup with the Croatian national team (lost to France in the final).

- Bronze medal at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

- At the 2026 World Cup, at the age of 40 years and 291 days (as of June 28, 2026), Modric will be the oldest player to provide an assist at the biggest tournament on the planet since 1966. This goal (by Vlasic) against Ghana helped Croatia secure a place in the Round of 32 as the second-placed team in their group. Modric touched the ball 102 times, created 4 chances, made 37 runs forward at least 5 meters, and delivered 12 passes into the final third of the opponent's field. He is among the players who run the most on the pitch at this World Cup!

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Along with Messi, Modric is known as the "evergreen tree" of modern football.

Sadly, Modric has just announced he will retire after the 2026 World Cup!

IV. Rangnick (Head Coach of the Austrian National Team)

Regarding the suspicion that Austria drew (3-3) against Algeria to allow both teams to advance to the next round - with Austria securing second place in Group J and Algeria advancing as one of the eight best third-placed teams:

If someone told you that the match would end this way (with only 3 minutes left), you'd probably think they were crazy. I've been a coach for about 40 years and I can't remember ever witnessing a match with such dramatic and unpredictable developments!

Quite "weak," isn't it?

Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/the-thao/worldcup-2026/chuyen-nhieu-hon-dem-ngan-hon-1046843